New Balance trained an AI system to identify what kind of people?

This week was New York Fashion Week, so New Balance hit the streets of the fashion capital with an artificial intelligence system trained to spot trendsetters.

Installed for one day this week at a street corner in SoHo, the system consisted of a neural network concealed behind a large screen. A camera watched the passersby on the street, and the AI examined the footage for trendsetters.

When the system identified someone who fashionably stood out from the crowd, it dubbed them an “exception” and put their image up on the screen. These exceptions were rewarded on the spot with a brand-new pair of New Balance shoes.